Library and Archives

We welcome researchers to use our library and archives by appointmentyear-round on Tuesdays-Fridays between 10am and 4pm. Research appointments are free for museum members and members of the Sons and Daughters of the First Settlers of Newbury. For non-members, there is a $30/session fee. For information about becoming a member, please visit our membership page.

If you are unable to visit our library and archives in person, Museum staff can conduct research on your behalf. The fee for this service is $30, and requests are typically fulfilled within 4-6 weeks. Please click below to learn more about this service and submit a request.

The library and archives at the Museum of Old Newbury are a wealth of information about all things local. Our collections include both primary and secondary source materials that address family genealogies, Newburyport’s maritime heritage, local businesses and industries, landmarks, buildings, cemeteries, and more. Resources available for research use include local history books, ship logs, maps, photographs, genealogy books, diaries, ledgers, and ephemera.

Our collection is particularly strong in the genealogies of Newbury’s first settlers, thanks to the early 20th century research of Mary Adams Rolfe. Ms. Rolfe spent decades scouring town, church, and census records to piece together the stories of Newbury’s first families. Her original notes, bound into dozens of volumes, are available for research use at the Museum of Old Newbury, and digital transcriptions are available for purchase at the Museum. For a listing of family surnames contained in the Mary Adams Rolfe Papers, please click here. In addition to the early settlers as researched by Mary Adams Rolfe, our collection also contains obscure genealogy books and original documents pertaining to hundreds of other local families. Several of these volumes are part of the collection of the Sons and Daughters of the First Settlers of Newbury, a local genealogical society.

Additionally, our collection includes several thousand images of local people and places dating from the advent of photography to the present. The photograph collection is available for researchers to browse by subject, and digital reproductions of original images are available for personal or public use. Reproduction for public use requires a fee based on usage type and distribution. Please contact 978-462-2681 or info@newburyhistory.org for details.